Grace Students Showcase Research and Creativity at Communitas 2013

On Wednesday, March 20, Grace students and faculty assembled at the Orthopaedic Capital Center for Communitas, a symposium hosted by the Office of Faith, Learning and Scholarship. An estimated 100 Grace students attended this third annual symposium, a event designed to showcase student creativity and research, give students experience in presenting their work in a professional atmosphere, and provide opportunities to explore the integration of faith and learning. This year’s event included 26 presentations from a variety of disciplines and majors, an art showing in Mount Memorial Gallery, and a special presentation by Remnant, Grace’s traveling theater group.

“It was a great afternoon of celebrating student scholarship as well as academic interactions with other students and faculty outside the classroom,” said Nate Bosch, Director of the Environmental Science Program at Grace. “Communitas provides a professional experience for students, and the variety of disciplines represented during the afternoon was refreshing.”

Students could choose from a variety of topics and attend sessions with several related presentations. Session topics included Critical Issues in Apologetics and Theology; Explorations in Social History; Studies in Water Quality and the Local Environment; Language, Culture, and Relational Dynamics; Beating the Odds: Mathematics and Gaming Strategies; Myth, Language, and Custom as Cultural Markers; Perspectives on the Intersection of Politics and Society; and Original Works of Fiction. Presentation titles included ‘The Exodus and the Myth of Ancient Israel’ by English major Joy Martin, ‘The Long-lasting Effects of Communism: Child Welfare in Post-Communist Romania’ by Special Education major Nina Ferry, and ‘Perceptions and Perspectives of Latin American Culture’ by Languages major Will Gross.

“The overall caliber of the presentations has steadily increased each year,” said Dr. Jared Burkholder, coordinator of the event. “The fact that we could expand it to include the senior art exhibits and have Remnant perform was a bonus.”

“The number and variety of presentations given is amazing, and I am impressed at the level of scholarship present among the undergrad student body,” explained Connor Park, a student presenter. “This year, for instance, I heard two great papers on the mathematics of gameplay, something I wouldn’t even have thought about in my normal routine as an English student.”

To see the full program as well as learn more about student scholarship at Grace, visit the Office of Faith, Learning, and Scholarship’s Student Scholarship page.